The River Song: Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries

Photo Credit: Kimberly Shryack Johnson

There is, perhaps, nothing quite so quintessentially summer as floating down a river with a cooler of drinks surrounded by people you love. So, as August comes to a close and we face the myriad pumpkin drinks, dark nail polishes, sweater dresses, slightly grungier lawns, and proliferation of Halloween stuff that accompany the onset of fall, I packed up the car, nabbed my stalwart travel companion, Taryn, and drove down to New Braunfels to join a large group of other friends in floating down the Guadalupe for one last summer hurrah. 

Photo Credit: Taryn Staley

It had been far, far too long. I had forgotten how magical it is. 

After getting past the first gasp-worthy shock of the ice cold river creeping up your legs, and the initial logistical hassle of getting everything inflated, configured, tied, settled, and launched, there is an magical, expansive, untethered feeling that sets in just as you round that first bend and the launch point disappears. No gadgets, no notifications, no to-do lists, no shouda-woulda-coulda. You can't rush the river. You very quickly realize how comfortable you are with doing nothing at all. There is absolutely nothing in the world to do except sit back, enjoy the water and the good company until, without warning you're at the end.  

I had also forgotten how conducive the water is to extended philosophical musings. Major kudos to dear friend and fellow fan-of-talking-about-serious-things, Cord, who bore the brunt of my aimless, introspective ramblings.

Photo credit: Beth Horst Vinson

Four hours wasn't nearly long enough (although my sunburned knees might disagree...).

 Although I ended up a bit *ahem* over-served on the river and slept through most of the afternoon, it was still a thoroughly delightful day, and we managed to roust out in time to catch my good friends with the Mark McKinney Band play the closing set over at the River Road Ice House.

Granted, as relaxing as the river is, the sun, the water, and the drinking can take their toll, and I got back to Arlington on Sunday feeling like I needed a weekend to recover from the weekend. Fortunately I had some help in that department: extensive snuggles with the fur children, coupled with a fluffy adventure novel and some 70% cacao therapy had me feeling right as rain in no time. (Except for my poor knees. Ow.)
 

Regardless, after almost an entire summer on dry land and many years away from the river, it was reassuring how intuitive it was to get back to it. And now that I have my own tube I will certainly be returning to the river sooner rather than later. It won't be years before my next float. 


Item: Dark Chocolate with Raspberries
Percentage: 70% cacao 

Made By: Divine Chocolate
Made In: Cacao grown in Ghana, processed into chocolate in Europe
Purchased At: Whole Foods - Arlington, TX
Purchase Price: $3.59

Review: Divine does good, solid snacking chocolate. Nothing too adventurous or remarkable, but absolutely reliable and top-of-the field for the price point. The time-honored chocolate/raspberry pairing works very well here - their nice, fruity 70% dark is a good base for the tartness of the raspberries. Texturally the freeze-dried raspberry bits are a little odd, but more interesting than off-putting, and not overly fussy. That might be a mood thing, though. I'm kind of fickle when it comes to textures in my chocolate. And the fruit/chocolate ratio is spot on. 

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A quick note about the company: With US headquarters in D.C., Divine chocolate is 45% owned by the Kuapa Kokoo fair-trade cocao farmer's co-op in Ghana, supporting transparent, accountable, and democratic business operations. Their misson broadly encompasses supporting cacao farmers in earning a fair living for themselves and their families, empowering women in Ghana to participate across all areas of the industry, and to support environmentally friendly cacao cultivation. Originally launched in the '90s to be the first fair-trade brand in the UK to compete with mass-produced chocolate, Divine has been thriving ever since, finally coming to the US as recently as 2007. 


With love,
 - Kat